Jerome Wetzel is the Chief Television Critic for Seat42F and a regular contributing reviewer on Blogcritics. He also appears on The Good, The Bad, and the Geeky podcast and Let's Talk TV With Barbara Barnett.

Amazon Contextual Product Ads

Monday, September 3, 2012

Injustice comes to DVD

As the five-part series Injustice begins, Barrister William Travers (James Purefoy, Episodes, Rome)
lives in a small village. He used to be a successful lawyer who won
murder trials for his clients, whom he always believed innocent. But
after one particular case, William suffered a nervous breakdown and had
to step away from the more intense proceedings.

Now, a friend of his is accused of murder. William steps back up into
it for the case, returning to the cutthroat world he left behind, with
the caveat that he will quit if he stops believing his client's
innocence. His wife, Jane (Dervla Kirwan, Ballykissangel, Blackout),
is anything but pleased, having left a very successful career in London
to accommodate her spouse. She is also worried about what the pressure
might do to him. William ignores this, and jumps in anyway.

As with any excellent drama, there is a lot more going on than meets
the eye. Viewers will learn details about William's break through
flashbacks, and the type of man he really is now, beneath the
put-together exterior. Present events will collide with the past in a
complex, interwoven story. I don't want to give anything away, but trust
me, this is well worth watching,

Interestingly, a second investigator, DI Mark Wenborn (Charlie Creed-Miles, The Fifth Element),
is present as a study of contrast to Travers, adding another layer to
the tale. Wenborn is everything that William is not, cruel instead of
kind, with virtually no moral compass to guide him on his mission. It's a
wonderful study on the differing personalities of men, and how they
can both survive within the same system.

The big, shocking query Injustice delivers is, can it make
viewers root for the bad guy against the good guy? With the villain out
to expose something that hero did, who is right? This delves into a
level of ambiguity and greyness that inhabits only the best dramas, and
makes all five parts incredibly compelling. And as someone who has
watched the series, there is never a clear choice between which
character should come out on top, which is not easy to do.

Injustice is as modern as it is timeless. The story and the
characters, trying to be beacons of hope in a cruel world, holding up
ideals and defending them, but limited by personal failings, could
happen anywhere, anytime. Yet, the series also embraces technology and
the ever-present closed circuit cameras that spy on citizens like a Big
Brother. The plot is as much a comment of society and the legal system
as it is on the specific circumstances portrayed. There are broad
strokes, as well as the personal.

Is Injustice
a police drama, or a suspense tale? Both are accurate representations.
It melds the two seamlessly into a heck of a thrill ride. Both of these
can deliver a good mystery, and thus a great mystery doesn't have to
choose between them.

Something neat about this show is that it changes course so
spectacularly in mid-stream. Twists are present in many stories, of
course, but rarely does one show, especially one with such a limited
number of episodes, make such a dramatic change in the middle. It's a
very cool trick that, while it wouldn't work if it became overused,
should set it apart in this instance.

What makes Injustice so terrific is the masterful way in
which this ambitious script is executed. Not only is the writing solid,
but the acting and direction is also fantastic. The world of the series
is well illustrated, with a very authentic feel, especially as it delves
into the murkiness. It's true that more and more productions have
managed to pull this off lately, but that doesn't take away from Injustice's accomplishment, a worthy entry among its peers.

The only special feature included is a photo gallery. This is
disappointing, but should not be enough to keep TV lovers away from the
DVD.